Do you see beautiful art created by a Gelli plate but still wonder if its for you? I love mine but it took a while before I bought one, so I’m sharing the things that I thought might be issues, that turned out not to be. If you have questions about the Gelli, leave me a comment and I’ll try and help answer them.

6×6″ Gelli Plate by Gelli Arts

Does it smell? No. This was a big one for me as I am very sensitive to scented things and I was worried that this would smell of chemicals or have some other kind of smell. The Gelli plate has virtually no smell, if you really get your nose down to it and really sniff hard, you can just and I mean barely detect a slight sweet smell, a little like caramel sugar, but its not strong. You have to almost have your nose in contact with the plate to get it.

Is it greasy/slimey? No. I was expecting a silicone coating or a greasy film that would leave residue on my hands and brayer, but it does neither. It feels a bit like a well polished table, slick but no residue that makes your hands or tools feel strange.

Is it easy to clean? SO easy! Spray water on any paint on the surface and use a damp cloth or rag to wipe it away. If you find stubborn dried paint, apply wet paint over it and you will find it will peel off with your next print.

Is it hard to store? Nope, just make sure you put the plastic film back on both sides of the plate and it stores in the packaging it came in.

What do you put it on? It says to be careful what surface you use it on, so what do you put it on? 1-4 were answered by Gelli themselves on their various videos but this was a killer for me for ages. Then I saw a You Tube video (soz don’t know who) and she put hers on a glass cutting mat (UNUSED please) I had a Slice cutting mat that had never been used and it worked a treat! I could move the plate as needed but the grippy feet on the mat kept it in place. Perfect. The reason for the concern is that the surface of the plate is very sensitive, if you leave it in contact with print or texture it will take on that texture so spoiling the plate. Because of the natural oils in the plate, if you leave the plate on an absorbent surface it could leave a stain on that surface (I’m guessing, kind of like Blue tac did on your posters left up for years😉 )

How long will it last? I contacted the company and at the time of writing they have been making these plates for two years, so its still a young product but they have had no reports of plate failures yet. Follow the care information on the packaging to ensure you don’t use anything on the plate that is known to damage it and you should be fine.

Well those were the deal breaker questions I wanted answered before I took the plunge, how about you? Have I answered your concerns or do you still have questions? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of Gelli plates, do you love the, or are you still on the fence?

Product Details

Manufacturer/Brand; Gelli Arts

Item number:

RRP at time of writing: £20 for 6 x 6″ plate

Reason For Buying

I had been on the fence about this product since I first saw it. I loved the art being made with it, I just had some concerns so I waited to see how people got on with it. Then the temptation got too much and I HAD to have one.

Pros/Cons

Pros

Easy to use

Versatile, each piece of art is unique so you don’t get board.

Easy to clean

Easy to store

Doesn’t smell

The 6×6 is an affordable price to try it out.

Available in a range of sizes to suit your pocket or your project.

As of 2014 also available in a round plate

Cons

A downside is that I would like the larger plates to give options of making book covers, but they get expensive in the larger sizes.

Not a real con, just a warning that it is addictive and you will want to collect vast numbers of stencils

Build Quality

Excellent, neither greasy nor slippery, it’s a joy to use and the fact it has resealable packaging to store it in, is superb. Treat it nicely as per instruction on the packing and its said to last years. At the time of writing they have been manufactured for two years and they have had no reports yet of failures. (I asked this question directly of the makers).

The makers have an excellent video tutorial on how to use/clean the product and were very helpful when I contacted them for advice.

Value for Money

For the versatility, and ease of use excellent.

Would I buy it Again?

Totally. I would replace my 6 x 6″ plate if it expired, and would love a larger plate for using with larger prints to turn into book covers.

Summing up

As I suspected this plate is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. If you love mixed media art and have seen the prints created using these plates, then you are likely to love this plate. My advice is get a 6 x 6″ one if you work A6, or ATC sort of sizes or just to try out the concept to see if you like it. If you are still on the fence, how about taking a class in your local craft shop, so you can get some hands on experience to see if you like it.

One thing though, if the class plate has a smell, it is likely to be from their paints, not the plate! Certainly in the UK the plates are sometimes bundled with Daler Rowney’s System 3 Acrylic paint. I found System 3 smell overpowering to the extent it gave me a headache. It was also the reason I didn’t re-home a used plate from Ebay.

I took a leap of faith because I loved the art being made with these plates and I wasn’t disappointed, LOVE my Gelli plate and wouldn’t be without it now. Just try it, it’s so much fun!

Links

To find out more product details, and size options, please visit the Gelli Arts website below.

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